Device for shaping filled and sealed bags into prismatic cartons

ABSTRACT

A device for forming already filled and sealed bag shaped containers into prismatic cartons which includes an ejection plate horizontally reciprocable to discharge formed cartons from a folding chamber, a vertically reciprocable sliding plate, a pusher block vertically reciprocable, having forming plates at both sides and linked therewith to swing into an outward position during the downward stroke of pusher block, and two reciprocable gripping jaws for gripping and cutting the upper transverse seal of the bag.

United States Patent [1 1 Dominici [451 Apr. 9, 1974 DEVICE F OR SHAPING FILLED AND SEALED BAGS INTO PRISMATIC CARTONS [76] Inventor: Antonio Dominici, 8, Via Ruggero dAndreotto, Perugia, Italy 7 22 Filed: Mar. 14,1973

211 App]. No.: 341,100

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar, 15, 1972 Italy 49001/72 [52] US. Cl 53/113, 53/180, 100/218, 100/232 [51] Int. Cl B65b 61/24 [58] Field of Search 53/167, 180, 182, 393; 100/218, 232

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1967 Reil et a1. 573/180 X 9/1969 Hechenleitner 53/180 1/1970 Csernak 53/167 X Primary Examiner-Robert L. Sprluill Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Browdy and Neimark [57] ABSTRACT A A device for forming already filled and sealed bag shaped containers into prismatic cartons which includes an ejection plate horizontally reciprocable to discharge formed cartons from a folding chamber, a vertically reciprocable sliding plate, a pusher block vertically reciprocable, having forming plates at both sides and linked therewith to swing into an outward position during the downward stroke of pusher block, and two reciprocable gripping jaws for gripping and cutting the upper transverse seal of the bag.

8 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAFR 9:914 SHE 1m 3.802.153

DEVICE FOR SHAPING FILLED AND SEALED BAGS INTO PRISMA 'IIC CARTONS The invention refers to the field of packaging devices, and morespecif ically to a device for forming into prismatic cartons the already filled and sealed bagshaped containers, which issue from packaging machines of that known type which produces these containersfrom a continuous web of flexible and foldable packaging material, such as plastics or plastic coated paper. In fact, such containers issue from these ma chines as a string of already scored, filled and sealed bags which are still connected together along their transversal seals. Therefore, once they have issued from the machine, they must yet be separated from each other and converted into prismatic cartons by folding them along their score or crease lines in a carton forming machine. The invention relatesto the field of these machines and has the object of providing an automatic device, which is capable of simultaneously performing the cutting and forming operations.

With respect to the known machine serving this purpose, the present device features the advantage of a particularly simple construction and operation. In its preferred form of embodiment, the whole carton is formed into a prism from. the bag as a consequence of the upward stroke of just'one of the component parts of the device. Throughout the forming procedure, the upper transversal seal, which may have not yet sufficiently cooled to' attain its full strength, is gripped by other components of the device to prevent this seal from tearing or splitting.

For a purely illustrative and in no way limitative purpose, two embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawing, wherein;

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational front view of the left half of the firstembodiment, shown in its open, container receiving position;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of its right half, shown in its closed, carton forming position;

FIG. 3 is a lateral elevational view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a stillunformed single container before its introduction into the forming device;

FIG. 5 shows an already formed but still unfinished container;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the finished container;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the left half of a second embodiment, shown in its open, container receiving position;

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the right half of said embodiment, shown in its closed, carton forming position; I

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of some elements of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a similar view of some elements of FIG. 8.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the frame of the device consists of a base plate I aswell as of a vertical support 2 and a wall plate 3 parallel to the latter.

A sliding plate 4 is mounted in front of support 2 and is vertically reciprocable between a lowermost position, drawn in full lines, to an uppermost position, drawn in dotted lines in FIG. 3, by a rod 9 actuated by a cam drive or any other known and therefore not shown mechanism.

Sliding plate 4 is spaced from wall plate 3 at a distance equal to the width of the finished carton.

A rectangular pusher block 5 is vertically reciproca ble between a lowermost position, shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, to an uppermost position shown in FIG. 2, by a pair of parallel, rigidly interconnected rods 13, which are also actuated by a cam or other known and therefore not shown drive mechanism. A vertical ejector plate 6 is horizontally reciprocable, according to arrow Fl of FIG. 3, by an arm 26 from a retracted position, in which it is coplanar with wall plate 3, to an ejecting position, at the reaching of which the forming carton is ejected into a discharge channel, as it will be explained later. Wall plate 3, together with the retracted ejector plate 6, forms one lateral wall, the slider 4 in its upper position the opposite lateral wall of a carton forming chamber. The top of this chamber is constituted by the two seal gripping jaws 8, once they are closed, the bottom of the chamber by the pusher 5.

The remaining pair of lateral walls of this forming chamber consists of two forming plates 7, which are swung, by the upward stroke of pusher block 5, from the open position shown in FIG. 1 to the closed, carton forming position of FIG. 2. In this position, the combined action of pusher block 5 and of the forming plates 7 causes the bags to be folded along their scoring lines 37 and 40 (FIG. 1) till they assume the prismatic shape of the forming chamber.

Each plate 7 has an arm 21. A roller 24, which is rotatably mounted on a lateral extension 25 of plate 5, engages in a curved slot 23 of arm 21. The end of arm 21 is fulcrumed at 22 in a first lever 18. Lever 18 is pivoted with one end 20 to the support 2 and with its other end, at 19, to one end ofa second lever 16, whose other end is oscillatorily mounted at 17 on the pusher block 5. The whole forms a linkage which, when the pusher is in its lowermost position, assumes the configuration shown in FIG. 1, wherein the forming plates are swung outward, and which, when the pusher 5 is in its topmost positiomis rotated into the configuration shown in FIG. 2, where the forming plates 7 are swung inward to close the forming chamber.

The ejector plate 6 is rigidly connected by an arm26 to a horizontal rack 27. A sector wheel 28 meshing with this rack imparts to the ejector plate a horizontal reciprocating motion in the two senses of arrow F2 This motion shifts it from a position coplanar with plate 3 to a position slightly beyond the plane of plate 4, in order to eject the formed carton from the forming chamber into the already mentioned discharge channel a.

Also the gripping jaws 8 are reciprocated horizontally according to arrow F2, between an open position in which they free a passage for the container 34 descending into contact with the lowered pusher plate 5, to a gripping position, in which they compress between them said upper transversal seal 35 while simultaneously a blade 30 and a counterblade 30' part said container 34 from the overlying container 36. Oppositely to the ejector plate 6 there extends said channel a of a rectangular cross-section, whose inlet is closed when slider 4 is in its upper position and is opened when said slider is lowered to its bottom position. The channel is defined by a horizontal ceiling element 31, an also horizontal bottom element 32 and by lateral walls 33.

The operation of the above described embodiment is as follows:

At the beginning of each carton forming cycle, all parts of the device are positioned as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The container 34, when introduced into the forming chamber till it rests upon the pusher block 5, will assume the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 3 and the profile shown in the front elevational view of FIG. I by the line 34'. In this latter figure, the scoring lines already impressed upon the container material during the packaging procedure are indicated at 37.

Once the container has been completely introduced into the forming chamber, the slider plate 4 is lifted to its upper position shown in full lines in FIG. 2 and by the dotted lines in FIG. 3. Simultaneously the jaws 8 grips the transversal seal 35, along which it is still attached to container 36, while the blades 30 and 30' severe bag 34 from bag 36. Successively the pusher block 5 starts its upward stroke and thereby causes also the forming plates 7 to swing into their closing position. Thus the container bottom is pushed upward by block 5 and the lateral walls, which have assumed the profile indicated at 34, are pressed inward by plates 7. In this manner all walls of the forming chamber cooperate to fold the container along its score lines till it assumes the desired prismatic shape.

The arrangement of the described linkage between plateS and plates 7 is such, that the vertical component of the movement of plates 7 is smaller than the upward stroke of pusher block 5, in which a measure that the edges 38 and 39 of the forming plates 7 are constantly kept, during the whole forming operation, exactly level with the scoring lines 40, which run on the container perpendicularly to the plane of FIGS. 1 and 2.

At the completion of the forming operation, the container has assumed the final form of a rectangular prism (FIG. 5), from whichproject, into the interstices left between jaws 8 and forming plates 7 as well as between said plates and the pusher 5, horizontally extending triangular ears 41 (FIGS. 2 and 5). i

To free the forming chamber for the successive container, the sliding plate 4 is lowered till it completely opens the inlet into channel a, the jaws 8 release the transversal seal, and the ejector plate 6 transfers the formed carton from the forming chamber to said channel, where it is held upright by (not shown) holding elements, which grip its ears 4]. During this transfer, the seals 35' and 35" are folded backward by the lower surfaces ofjaws 8 and the upper face of pusher 5 (FIG. 6).

After the ejection of the carton into channel a, all parts of the device will revert to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, to restart the forming cycle on the successive container 36 and so forth. From the channel, 7

the carton will be fed into successive stations for any further treatment, such as the folding and welding of the ears 41 upon the corresponding faces of the carton.

The embodiment of FIGS. 7 through 10 differs from the one just described in the conformation of the forming plates and in the linkage connecting them with the pusher block 5. In fact the roller 43 mounted on each extension of the pusher block 5 engages in a slot 45 provided in the approximately central portion of a vertically oscillatable lever 46. The lower end of each lever 46 is fulcrumed in 47 to the stationary support 2. On its upper end there is rotatably mounted another, barrel shaped roller 48, which engages in a slot 49 provided near the end of an arm 50 which carries the forming plate 52. The opposite end of said arm is fulcrumed for a horizontal movement on a pivot 51 carried by the frame of the deivce. The connection between arm 50 and the forming plate 52 is not rigid, but consists of a pin 53 which is rigid with the plate 52 and engages in a bushing 54, which is rigid with lever 50. Pin 53 is slidable in the bushing 54 against the bias of a spring housed in the latter.

Similarly to the previous form of embodiment, also here the linkage between the pusher block 5 and the forming plates 52 is so proportioned, that the upward stroke of pusher block 5 is longer than the vertical component of the motion of plates 52, so that their edges remain always at a level with the scoring lines 40 of the container.

It is obvious that many and different variants and changes may be applied by the experts in the art to the above illustrated embodiments of the invention, without departing from its idea; it is understood that all these variants and changes are encompassed within the scope of the invention.

I claim 1. A device for forming prismatic cartons from flexible containers issuing from a packaging machine as a string of bags which are already filled, sealed, provided with scoring lines and interconnected along their transversal seals, said device comprising: a first lateral wall of a carton forming chamber, said wall consisting of a stationary wall plate and an ejector plate which is horizontally reciprocable from a position co-planar with said wall plate to a position wherein it discharges the formed cartons from said forming chamber; a vertically reciprocable sliding plate constituting, in its upper position, a second lateral wall opposite to said first lateral wall, while closing the inlet to a discharge channel receiving said formed cartons and freeing, in its lowest position, said channel inlet; a pusher block vertically reciprocable between said lateral walls; forming plates at both sides of said pusher block and linked therewith to swing into an outward position during the downward stroke of said pusher block and into a closing position, wherein they make up the two other lateral walls of said forming chamber, during the upward stroke of said pusher block; and two gripping jaws, which are reciprocable, in a plane above said lateral walls, between a closed position, wherein they constitute the top of said forming chamber and grip and cut the upper transversal seal of a bag introduced into said forming chamber, and an open position in which they release said transversal seal and open the entrance to said forming chamher.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal surfaces of said gripping jaws which contact each other in said closed position are fitted with blades to cut said upper transversal seal of the container introduced into said forming chamber.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the linkage between said pusher block and each forming plate comprises: an arm integral with said forming plate and fitted with a curved slot; a roller mounted on a lateral extension of said pusher plate and engaging into said slot; a first lever having one end fulcrumed to a stationary support plate of said device and its other end fulcrumed to a second lever which is oscillatably mounted on said pusher plate, said arm being fulcrumed to said first lever at a point intermediate the ends of the latter.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the linkage between said pusher block and each forming plate comprises: a lever whose one end is vertically oscillatable around a stationary pivot point and whose other end engages in a slot of the horizontally oscillatable arm of said forming plate; a roller mounted on said pusher block and engaging in a shaped slot located intermediate the ends of said lever, said slot being shaped so that said other end of said lever swings said forming plate into a closing position during the upward stroke of said pusher block and retracts it into an open position during the downward stroke of said pusher block.

6. A device as per claim 3, wherein the linkage between the pusher block and the forming plate is so proportioned that the upper and lower edges of said forming plates remain level with said scoring lines of said container in said forming chamber during the formation of said container into a prismatic carton.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein said discharge channel has the exact contours of the formed carton to receive, align and discharge the cartons transferred into it by said ejector plate.

8. A device according to claim 4, wherein the linkage between the pusher block and the forming plate is so proportioned that the upper and lower edges of said forming plates remain level with said scoring lines of said container in said forming chamber during the formation of said container into a prismatic carton. 

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal surfaces of said gripping jaws which contact each other in said closed position are fitted with blades to cut said upper transversal seal of the container introduced into said forming chamber.
 3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the linkage between said pusher block and each forming plate comprises: an arm integral with said forming plate and fitted with a curved slot; a roller mounted on a lateral extension of said pusher plate and engaging into said slot; a first lever having one end fulcrumed to a stationary support plate of said device and its other end fulcrumed to a second lever which is oscillatably mounted on said pusher plate, said arm being fulcrumed to said first lever at a point intermediate the ends of the latter.
 4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the linkage between said pusher block and each forming plate comprises: a lever whose one end is vertically oscillatable around a stationary pivot point and whose other end engages in a slot of the horizontally oscillatable arm of said forming plate; a roller mounted on said pusher block and engaging in a shaped slot located intermediate the ends of said lever, said slot being shaped so that said other end of said lever swings said forming plate into a closing position during the upward stroke of said pusher block and retracts it into an open position during the downward stroke of said pusher block.
 5. A device as per claim 4, wherein the connection between said forming plate and its arm comprises a pivot pin rigid with said forming plate and a bushing rigid with said lever, said pin being slidable in said bushing against the bias of a spring housed in the latter.
 6. A device as per claim 3, wherein the linkage between the pusher block and the forming plate is so proportioned that the upper and lower edges of said forming plates remain level with said scoring lines of said container in said forming chamber during the formation of said container into a prismatic carton.
 7. A device according to claim 1, wherein said discharge channel has the exact contours of the formed carton to receive, align and discharge the cartons transferred into it by said ejector plate.
 8. A device according to claim 4, Wherein the linkage between the pusher block and the forming plate is so proportioned that the upper and lower edges of said forming plates remain level with said scoring lines of said container in said forming chamber during the formation of said container into a prismatic carton. 